The Disbelievers’ Attempts to Tempt & Expel Messenger Muhammad from Mecca
The disbelievers thought that they could convince Messenger Muhammad to abandon the message Allah revealed to him, change the revelation of Allah, fabricate things that Allah did not reveal, and sanction their worship of the idols by using tricks and plots. When they failed to achieve their goals, they threatened the Prophetﷺ with expulsion from Mecca. In the end, they failed, and success and victory were the share of the Messenger of Allah and his followers.
(Indeed, they were about to tempt you away from what We revealed to you to make you fabricate something else against Us. Then they would have made you their beloved friend.
Had We not made you firm, indeed, you were about to incline to them a little bit.
In that case, We would have surely made you suffer double torment in this world, and double torment in the Hereafter. Then you would find no helper against Us.
Indeed, they were about to harass you to drive you out of the land. Had they done so, they would have not remained after you, but a little while.
Such was Our way with the Messengers We sent before you. You will find no change in Our way.)
[Quran Surah al-Isra:73- 77]
Relationship with the Previous Part
In the previous part, Allah enumerated some of His bounties on people. Then He mentioned how their conditions and ranks would be in the Hereafter, referring to those who would attain His pleasure and the losers.
Then, Allah has warned the believers of being deceived by the temptations and deceptive speech of the misguided people. Allah has also mentioned how He supported, helped, and protected Messenger Muhammad from the plots and evil plans of the disbelievers. He saved His Messenger from the dangers and evils of his enemies and granted him victory.
Tafsir
(Indeed, they were about to tempt you away from what We revealed to you to make you fabricate something else against Us. Then they would have made you their beloved friend.) [73]
O Messenger! The disbelievers thought, due to their corrupt understanding and baseless claims, that they would be able to convince, deceive, and tempt you away from the Quran that Allah revealed to you. Thus, you might fabricate something against Allah. If you were deceived by their corrupt attempts and tricks and accepted their evil suggestions, they would make you their beloved friend.
After mentioning the statements of the scholars regarding the cause of revelation of this ayah, Imam ibn Jarîr at-Tabarî said, ‘The correct opinion on this matter is that Allah mentioned that the disbelievers were about to tempt the Messengerﷺ away from the revelation of Allah. Thus, he might follow another one, which would be fabrication against Allah. It is possible that this refers to asking the Messenger to touch their gods. It might also refer to what ibn Abbas narrated about the request of the tribe of Thaqyf, and it might refer to another thing. Nothing in the Quran nor in the authentic narration of Messenger Muhammad that supports any of these opinions. Thus, the correct course is to believe in the apparent meaning of the ayah until authentic evidence, clarifying the matter is found.’
Allah mentions in the Quran that Messenger Muhammad rejected the suggestions of the disbelievers. Allah says, interpretation of meaning,
When Our clear ayat are recited to them, those who do not expect to meet Us say, ‘Bring Quran other than this or change it.’ Say, ‘It is not for me to change it of my own accord. I follow only what is revealed to me. I fear, if I should disobey my Lord, the torment of a terribly great day.’ [Q10:15]
Then Allah has mentioned some aspects of His bounties on Messenger Muhammad.
(Had We not made you firm, indeed, you were about to incline to them a little bit.)[74]
O Messenger! Had We not made you firm and protected you from accepting the disbelievers’ suggestions, you were about to incline to them a little bit since their deceit and trickery were strong and artful.
This ayah clearly states that Messenger Muhammad is innocent of inclining to the disbelievers let alone accepting their deceptive suggestions.
Allah made Messenger Muhammad firm and protected him from the temptations of the disbelievers. Ibn Abbas, may Allah be pleased with him, said, ‘The Messengerﷺ was infallible. However, the Quran informs his followers not to incline to the disbelievers regarding any rule of Islam.’
Qatãda, may Allah have mercy on him, said, ‘(Had We not made you firm, indeed, you were about to incline to them a little bit). When it was revealed, the Prophetﷺ said, ‘O Allah! Do not make me rely on my own self even as much as a blink of an eye.’’
Then the ayat present the expected punishment if Messenger Muhammad had inclined to the disbelievers.
(In that case, We would have surely made you suffer double torment in this world, and double torment in the Hereafter. Then you would find no helper against Us.) [75]
O noble Messenger! If you had inclined to the disbelievers a little bit and accepted their suggestions, We would have made you suffer double torment in this world and double torment in the Hereafter. Then you would find no supporter nor helper, who would help you against Us, and save you from the torment.
The torment would be doubled because the gravity of a mistake is commensurate with the great rank of its perpetrator. Likewise, its insignificance is commensurate with the insignificant rank of its perpetrator.
Messenger Muhammad is the greatest man. Therefore, Allah threatened him with double torment if he should incline to the disbelievers even a little bit.
Then the ayat mention another plot of the disbelievers. They attempted to expel the Messengerﷺ from his town, Mecca, so that they would be able to worship their false gods without any condemnation.
(Indeed, they were about to harass you to drive you out of the land. Had they done so, they would have not remained after you, but a little while.)[76]
O Messenger! The disbelievers were about to harass you by their enmity and cunning in order to drive you out of Mecca. Had they done so, they would not have remained after you left it, but a little while, then they would have been destroyed.
Allah commanded Messenger Muhammad to migrate from Mecca to al-Madinah. Then He granted him and his companions victory in the battle of Badr, noting that there were only two years between his migration and the Badr battle.
(Such was Our way with the Messengers We sent before you. You will find no change in Our way.) [77]
Such was the way of Allah with those who disbelieved and drove the messengers of Allah out of their towns. O Messenger! You will find no change in Our way.
Allah has not left any nation that drove out its messenger from his town, but punished it. This is the way of Allah and it will not change.
In another ayah, Allah mentions that He will make His messengers victorious. Allah, says, interpretation of meaning,
(Indeed, Our word has already been given to Our slaves, the Messengers. Indeed, they would be victorious, and Our soldiers would be prevailing.) [Q 37:171-173]
Learned Lessons
• Messenger Muhammad suffered from various kinds of abuse and harassment of the disbelievers of Mecca. The most dangerous of which were attempts to convince him to change the revelation that Allah revealed to him, and to expel him from his hometown, Mecca.
• Allah made Messenger Muhammad firm. The disbelievers failed to convince him to fabricate lies about Allah.
• Messenger Muhammad left Mecca when Allah commanded him to migrate to al-Madinah.
• Messenger Muhammad was infallible. Allah protected him from the plots and cunning of the disbelievers, and he never inclined to the disbelievers.
• The unchangeable way of Allah with the people who expel their messenger from his town is that He destroys them.
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